Life 1. School Trip to the Underworld

Part 1

"Ok, listen up, class. Since this is the first time going to the Underworld to most of you, it's recommended for you to just follow our guides and everything will be fine."

Yes, this sounds exactly as it is: we're having a school trip to the Underworld. Sure, as a Devil, I have gone to the Underworld many times, but I heard we were going to meet famous Devils, so of course I wanted to go!

"Don't get away from me, Rito-kun."

Tenshi-kun, who is sticking close to me, says that. Since he's an Angel, he's afraid the Devils will do something to him. Ham and María are also with us, so there's no reason for him to cling to me… other than, well, the fact I'm his childhood friend and all the implications that have.

Anyway, once we arrive to the elevator door, we enter on it to go down using the button hidden to humans. Tenshi-kun only shivers even more from the feeling of going down.

Once the elevator stops, we get into the cavern like station where we'll take the train to the Underworld.

"The train we're taking is owned by the benefactor who gave us the chance to have this school trip."

Once we get close to the train, I can see symbols on it. Going by the symbol, this train is owned by…

"That symbol… is that Sargatanas' symbol?"

The one who asked that is María, who seems to have reached the same conclusion I did. This train is owned by Lucifer-sama's Rook, Sargatanas-san, who is the guard of the frontier between the Underworld and the Netherworld.

When the doors open automatically, we enter into the train that'll lead us to the Underworld.

Part 2

After spending almost one hour on that train, we finally made it to the Underworld. Tenshi-kun was frightened the whole journey, especially when we broke through the dimensional wall. Apparently, the way to arrive to Heaven is way less… flashy, to say in some way.

"Tenshi-kun, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, yes, it's just that I remembered the feeling of being on the Underworld from that time you brought me along with Tatsuya-san… and this isn't exactly a nice feeling for an Angel."

Well, I feel really good being on the Underworld, but that must be because I'm a Devil. Does that mean I'm going to feel bad if I travel to Heaven…?

After walking for a moment, I was able to see another group of students. I know them: they're the third years of Okoma.

"Oh, Rito! Over here!"

The one calls me out is Akai, who is standing close to Ellice. They're truly a baka-uple…

I go close to them, while Tenshi-kun follows me from behind. This boy is seriously… anxious? Nervous? Scared? I don't know how to describe it by this point.

"Akai, Ellice, what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you hear? The school trip was for all years, not just you. The first years should arrive at any moment."

No, I didn't hear… that is somewhat disappointing; I actually believed the academy was doing something nice for us the second years…

"… It doesn't matter right now; where are Mint, Mikano and Rina?"

I didn't ask about Haruka because he travelled to the Vatican. As far as I understand, it is because of something involving clearing his name as an Exorcist. Sure, Baraqiel went with him just in case they were to attack him.

"Mint and Mikano are probably kissing somewhere; Rina is with the rest of your group."

I look to where I was before; Rina is talking with Ham and María. How I didn't notice she moved there…?

"I think I'm going to say hello, wait until I come back."

Ellice says that before kissing Akai on his cheek and going to where Rina and the others are. I look back at him.

"Since when did you stop being a lolicon?"

When we were on middle school, Tenshi-kun and I joked by calling Akai "The Shadow Lolicon", since he always showed his love towards lolis. Even when he got into high school, he still continued liking lolis, so I don't get why the girl he felt for has huge breasts.

"I'm still a lolicon, you can show me pictures of Oryu's cousin and I'll get hard."

"Then why does your lover have jumbo-sized breasts?"

"Just because I'm a lolicon doesn't mean I cannot fall in love with a nice girl with big breasts like Ellice."

"You're evading the question."

"Just leave like that, Rito-kun. You know that Akai-kun has evaded this kind of personal questions since we were on middle school."

Tenshi-kun is right; Akai has always been like that.

"You know, it's nice to spend some time like this, the three of us together I mean."

Akai says that. He's right, since I became Ram's Pawn, I have spent almost no time with either Akai or Tenshi-kun, especially with Tenshi-kun.

"Do you remember when we were on middle school and spent a lot of time together?"

Tenshi-kun brings me so many flashbacks of our chunnibyou days. Well, we actually had super powers (our [Sacred Gears]) back then, so it was only logical.

"Yeah, like when you spent months getting me used to call you Tenshi-kun even after I told you many times that I don't like using honorifics?"

"Not using them is disrespectful and you know it."

Well, I think I got an idea from this talk... and no, it doesn't involve honorifics.

"Are you free tomorrow? Because if you are, we could on a journey like in the old times, you know, just the three of us."

"Yeah, it sounds fine."

"Of course I accept."

Well, so Tenshi-kun, Akai and I are going to spend the day together like in the good old days!

"Rito, the first years are arriving!"

Rina yells that towards us, so Akai takes a step to the front.

"Well, I think we should greet them."

Following Akai's instruction, both Tenshi-kun and I go towards our first year friends.

"Nice to see you're also here, Jin, Xie and Yami"

"No need to say such things, Rito-san. Tenshi-senpai, are you feeling unpleasantly?"

"Kind of…"

"It's understandable; Tenshi-senpai is an Angel after all."

Xie has changed so much since she trained with Baraqiel, who used the least orthodox methods to train her, to the point she doesn't seem like the same person I met around 50 days ago.

"Whatever, coming here isn't the great thing; you should see how Las Vegas is."

"Aren't you like 15, Jin?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I'm pretty sure you won't able to truly enjoy that place until you're able to drink."

"Do you think I haven't drink alcohol?"

"… No, let's not talk about that."

Having an argument against Jin is impossible. This guy is like Ham said Americans are: selfish. Sure, just because he is doesn't mean all American are like that, unlike what Ham says.

"Classes, listen up. Now that everyone is here, we're going to travel in groups of three to the guided part."

And we were separated just like Edelross-sensei said. The groups were made of one from each year, so Tenshi-kun couldn't go with me. On the bright side, he was with Akai and Xie, so everything will be fine.

On my side, I ended up being with Mikano and Yami. Since I almost never speak to them, I should a talk with them.

"So, Yami, long time we don't speak."

"You didn't talk to me that much either when were together at [Nephilim]."

Well, it's true. I didn't work with Yami as much as I did with Akai, so it's only logical we didn't talk much.

"And it's true that Penemue-sama was your mother?"

"She adopted me from an orphanage. She was really kind, so it was for me when she died."

"Yeah, I know the feeling of a parent…"

"You two seem to barely know each other."

Mikano says that with a small grin on her face. We never were close to the other, so I get why we gave that impression.

"And what about you tell us something, Mikano? When did you notice the existence of the supernatural?"

"I did that when I woke up my [Sacred Gear]. That was after being attacked by a Kappa."

So that's how she activated hers. Yami probably did it because of something that happened at that orphanage.

Just for the record, we spent around 15 minutes walking and talking about pretty much nothing until finally arriving at our goal: the castle of the Lucifer clan. It's so insanely huge!

There are three men, who clearly are our guides, standing with Edelross-sensei. I know their faces pretty well despite only having seemed them in books…!

"The guides for us today will be these three Ultimate-class Devils: Sargatanas, Fleurety and Agaliarept."

Yes, I cannot believe I'm meeting them! Fleurety-san and Agaliarept-san are Lucifer-sama's Knights, so meeting them alongside side the Rook Sargatanas is a huge honour.

"Well, do you want to have a tour around the Lucifer territory?"

" "YES!" "

"Ok, follow us."

And like that, our tour around the Lucifer territory began!